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The team applied liquid metal to a thin polymer film with elastic properties.

Author Stéphanie Lacour said: 'It's possible to make tracks that are very narrow - several hundredths of a nanometre thick - and very reliable,' using the material.

Extensive research has gone into developing the elastic electronic circuit (pictured being stretched), replacing traditionally rigid components with flexible ones

WHAT COULD IT BE USED FOR?

The material could be used to make circuits that can be twisted and stretched, which would be ideal for artificial skin on prostheses or robotic machines.

It could also be integrated into fabric and used in connected clothing that could give a jacket the capabilities of a smartphone, for example.

Because the material follows the shape and movements of the human body, it could be used for sensors designed to monitor particular biological functions.

It can be stretched a million times without cracking or interrupting its connectivity, according to the study published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The team used an alloy of gold and gallium for the circuitry.

'Not only does gallium possess good electrical properties, but it also has a low melting point, around 30 ºC so it melts in your hand, and, thanks to the process known as supercooling, it remains liquid at room temperature, even lower' added Arthur Hirsch, a PhD student at LSBI.

The layer of gold ensures the gallium remains consistent, preventing it from separating into droplets when it comes into contact with the polymer, which would ruin its conductivity.

The new material could be used to make circuits that can be twisted and stretched, which would be ideal for artificial skin on prostheses or robotic machines.

It could also be integrated into fabric and used in connected clothing that could give a jacket the capabilities of a smartphone, for example.

Because the material follows the shape and movements of the human body, it could be used for sensors designed to monitor particular biological functions.

'We can come up with all sorts of uses, in forms that are complex, moving or that change over time,' said Hadrien Michaud, a PhD student at the LSBI and one of the study authors.

The material could be used to make circuits that can be twisted and stretched, which would be ideal for artificial skin on prostheses or machines. Luke Skywalker's realistic prosthetic arm in Star Wars is shown